69411VBraitenbergSchattauerStuttgart, Germany2011-00-00Wir leben mitten in einem üppigen Theater millionenfach variierter pflanzlicher und tierischer Formen. Sie bedecken die Oberfläche der Erde und erwecken unsere Bewunderung und unser ästhetisches Empfinden. Die Gesetze dieser Vielfalt  ihren Geist also  haben wir allerdings noch kaum ergründet.
Valentin Braitenberg ist Hirnforscher und Kybernetiker. Er hat sich ein Leben lang bemüht, komplexe Verschaltungen im Gehirn als technische Lösungen verhaltensphysiologischer Aufgaben zu erklären. In diesem Buch geht seine Ambition noch einen Schritt weiter: Im Begriff der Information, der in der künstlichen Intelligenz eine zentrale Rolle spielt, sieht er das Äquivalent zum Geist in der Natur. Mit nüchternem, wissenschaftlich-kritischem Blick und doch immer wieder augenzwinkernd präsentiert er uns die Geister, die uns umgeben  und zeigt auf ebenso unterhaltsame wie verblüffende Weise, dass sie ihren festen Platz in der Wissenschaft verdient haben. Ein uraltes philosophisches Problem wird so entzaubert.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published158Information: der Geist in der Natur150171542368801VBraitenbergAdelphiMilano, Italy2008-00-00Valentino Braitenberg, tra i pionieri della cibernetica, non è nuovo alle provocazioni intellettuali. Ne ha dato prova, già nel 1984, con un libro in cui proponeva di costruire semplici robot per «sintetizzare» comportamenti complessi che un osservatore esterno avrebbe attribuito a stati mentali come la paura, laggressività, la curiosità. Era un primo passo verso una modellazione in silico del vivente. La stessa originalità di impostazione, la stessa verve iconoclasta e lo stesso gusto per le contaminazioni interdisciplinari caratterizzano le sue ricerche sul cervello, nelle quali ha sempre mirato a collegare le funzioni cerebrali ai fenomeni della psicologia. Gli è però rimasto pendente un debito: linserimento del mondo dei segnali e dei messaggi, dei cervelli e delle idee in una visione più generale, senza soluzione di continuità fra le cose biologiche e quelle inanimate. Colmare tale lacuna è un compito per il quale forse non siamo ancora maturi, ma sembra lecito affrontare il problema con un approccio che Braitenberg stesso definisce «presocratico». Ne è una dimostrazione questo libro sorprendente, cui sarà grato anche il lettore non abituato a ragionare in termini di formule matematiche, ma disposto a esercitare la propria fantasia. Un libro che parla con divertita ironia di introspezione e coscienza, del mondo fisico e dellinformazione nel vivente, del sistema nervoso e degli aspetti mentali del cervello, illustrando magistralmente, in poche pagine scintillanti, i meccanismi del pensiero, del linguaggio, della percezione. E che si conclude con il bello, il piacere e il riso.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published171L&lsquo;immagine del mondo nella testa68791VBraitenbergTraven BooksLaives, France2006-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published123La vergine e i filosofi: romanzo24911VBraitenbergLitMünster, Germany2004-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published250Das Bild der Welt im Kopf: Eine Naturgeschichte des Geistes1501715423Braitenberg20041VBraitenbergLitMünster, Germany2004-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published156Vehikel: Experimente mit kybernetischen Wesen150171542368701VBraitenbergDSelvaticoUniversità degli studi di TrentoTrento, Italy2001-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published628Il Laboratorio di scienze cognitive dell'Università degli studi di Trento: Saggi e Lavori, Novembre 1999 - Dicembre 20004541VBraitenbergHaffmansZürich, Switzerland1999-03-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published159Ill oder Der Engel und die Philosophen4581SSabinZGahseVBraitenbergWallstein-VerlagGöttingen, Germany1999-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published40Wörter, Wörter, Wörter!15017154233461VBraitenbergASchüzSpringerBerlin, Germany1998-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published249Cortex: Statistics and Geometry of Neuronal Connectivity150171542368691AAertsenVBraitenbergElsevierAmsterdam, Netherlands1996-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published300Brain Theory: Biological Basis and Computational Principles150171542368681VBraitenbergRowohltReinbek bei Hamburg, Germany1996-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published224Die Natur ist unser Modell von ihr: Forschung und Philosophie ; das Bozner Treffen 19956101VBraitenbergAlpha & BetaMerano, Italy1996-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published165Il gusto della lingua: Meccanismi cerebrali e strutture grammaticali150171542368821VBraitenbergIHospRowohltReinbek bei Hamburg, Germany1995-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published175Simulation: Computer zwischen Experiment und Theorie150171542368661VBraitenbergIHospRowohltReinbek bei Hamburg, Germany1994-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published256Evolution: Entwicklung und Organisation in der Natur ; das Bozner Treffen 1993150171542314531VBraitenbergRowohltReinbek bei Hamburg, Germany1993-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published156Vehikel: Experimente mit kybernetischen Wesen150171542369191AAertsenVBraitenbergSpringerBerlin, Germany1992-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published477Information Processing in the Cortex: Experiments and Theory150171542368811VBraitenbergASchüzSpringerBerlin, Germany1991-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published249Anatomy of the cortex: statistics and geometry150171542368771VBraitenbergPresses Polytechniques RomandesLausanne, Switzerland1991-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published171Véhicules: expériences en psychologie synthétique150171542368781VBraitenbergGarzantiMilano, Italy1989-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published231Il cervello e le idee: saggi sull&lsquo;intelligenza, il linguaggio, la scienza24941VBraitenbergHaffmansZürich, Switzerland1987-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published185Gescheit sein: und andere unwissenschaftliche Essays150171542368831VBraitenbergTetsugaku ShoboTokyo, Japan1987-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published232Künstliche Wesen150171542368761VBraitenbergViewegBraunschweig, Germany1986-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published147Künstliche Wesen: Verhalten kybernetischer Vehikel150171542368751VBraitenbergGarzantiMilano, Italy1984-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published127I veicoli pensanti: saggio di psicologia sintetica150171542368741VBraitenbergMIT PressCambridge, MA, USA1984-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published152Vehicles: experiments in synthetic psychology150171542368731VBraitenbergPaolo BoringhieriTorino, Italy1980-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published167I tessuti intelligenti150171542324931VBraitenbergSpringerNew York, NY, USA1977-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published127On the Texture of Brains: An introduction to neuroanatomy for the cybernetically minded150171542324921VBraitenbergSpringerBerlin, Germany1973-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published137Gehirngespinste: Neuroanatomie für kybernetisch Interessierte150171542324951MKemaliVBraitenbergSpringerBerlin, Germany1969-00-00nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published74Atlas of the frog&lsquo;s brain1501715423BraitenbergR200728VBraitenbergFJRadermacher688528VBraitenbergERCaianiello20663VBraitenberg2002-12-00978175183Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesThe very special intrinsic connectivity of the cerebellar cortex plays but a minor role in present-day theories of cerebellar function, and it is hardly used as a source of inspiration for experiments. It is argued here that a direct translation of structure into physiological relations inescapably leads to some propositions about cerebellar function that could be tested experimentally.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8In Defense of the Cerebellum1501715423393DHeckFSultanVBraitenberg2001-06-0038-40641646NeurocomputingHere we present evidence that the cerebellar cortex in vivo specifically responds to sequential input to the granular layer, the main input site of the
cerebellar cortex. Ordered sequences of electrical stimuli were delivered through an array of stimulating electrodes in such a way, that an apparent movement
of the stimulus was produced. The parallel fiber population responses to sequential stimuli &lsquo;moving&lsquo; at 7 different velocities (0.1-0.7m/s) and in two different
directions (towards and away from the recording site) were measured extracellularly in the molecular layer. Population responses were maximal when the
stimulus moved towards the recording site at a velocity close to the conduction velocity of parallel fibers. Responses were significantly reduced when the
stimulus velocity was higher or lower. We conclude that the characteristic geometrical arrangement of parallel fibers enables the cerebellum to specifically
detect precise spatio- temporal activity patterns in the messy fiber system. These findings confirm earlier observations made in vitro and shed new light on the
functional interpretation of cerebellar anatomy. Together with recent findings suggesting that precise spatio-temporal activity patterns play a key role in
information processing in the neocortex, the results reported here are particularly important concerning the information exchange between the strongly
interconnected cerebellum and neocortex. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5Sequential stimulation of rat cerebellar granular layer in vivo: Further evidence of a "tidal-wave" timing mechanism in the cerebellum1501715423323VBraitenberg2001-01-001107177Journal of Computational NeuroscienceCertain remarkable invariances have long been known in comparative neuroanatomy, such as the proportionality between neuronal density and the inverse of the cubic root of brain volume or that between the square root of brain weight and the cubic root of body weight. Very likely these quantitative relations reflect some general principles of the architecture of neuronal networks. Under the assumption that most of brain volume is due to fibers, we propose four abstract models: I, constant fiber length per neuron; II, fiber length proportionate to brain diameter; III, complete set of connections between all neurons; IV, complete set of connections between compartments each containing the square root of the total number of neurons. Model I conforms well to the cerebellar cortex. Model II yields the observed comparative invariances between number of neurons and brain size. Model III is totally unrealistic, while Model IV is compatible with the volume of the hemispheric white substance in different mammalian species.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6Brain size and number of neurons: An exercise in synthetic neuroanatomy.150171542320623VBraitenberg2001-00-002-32263278Cognitive Processingnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published15Thoughts on the neuronal hardware of language1501715423753VBraitenberg2000-00-0091820Laborjournalnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2Informationsbiologie (Wenn ich heute Postdoc wäre ...)150171542368903VBraitenberg1998-10-0044309310Artificial Lifenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published1Selection, the Impersonal Engineer15017154234933VBraitenbergDHeckFSultan1997-06-00220229245Behavioral and Brain Sciencesnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published16The detection and generation of sequences as a key to cerebellar function: experiments and theory4943VBraitenbergDHeckFSultan1997-06-00220267271Behavioral and Brain SciencesAlthough our idea of sequential input being a key to cerebellar function was taken seriously by most commentators, there were also objections,
based in part on experimental evidence that seems to contradict our intuitions and in part on commentators&lsquo; preferences for different schemes. Several were
suspicious of experiments (performed on slices of cerebellar tissue) that may have severed some of the synaptic connections, particularly the inhibitory ones. It is
our feeling that a modification of our theory that could satisfy most critics would not have to be very radical.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published4Waiting for the ultimate theory of the cerebellum15017154233533VBraitenberg1997-04-00328187213Cybernetics and Systemsnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published26Searching for language mechanisms in the brain150171542368613VBraitenberg1993-10-0010391315Sistemi e Impresanonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2L&lsquo;imitazione degli automi naturali150171542368593FSultanVBraitenberg1993-01-001347992Journal für HirnforschungThe shape of the cerebellar cortex in fourteen mammalian species and one bird was studied by careful dissection, counts of the numbers of folia, and measurement of their length. All mammalian cerebella conformed to the same general plan, with an anterior region where folia are continuous between right and left, and three separate posterior appendages. There were, however, considerable differences between species, both in the relative length of the posterior appendages and in the relative abundance of folia on the midline compared to the lateral portions. In order to discover general laws referring to the width and length of the cerebellar cortex in their relation to body weight, cerebellar weight, and area of cerebellar cortex, an allometric analysis was performed. By plotting the values for the various species on log-log diagrams, the following statements can be inferred: 1. The weight of the cerebellar cortex is proportionate to the body weight to the power of 0.72, well comparable to the classical proportionality between brain weight and body weight to the power of 2/3 (Jerison 1973). 2. Cerebellar area and cerebellar weight are proportionate in larger animals, but in the smaller species the thickness of the cerebellar cortex varies and therefore a different dependence is valid. 3. The width of the cerebellar cortex increases with body size in the smaller species but tends to remain constant in the larger ones. 4. The longest anterior-posterior extension in our collection was measured in the bovine cerebellum. 5. The position of man in our collection of species is particular in several ways. The width of the human cerebellum is far greater than allometric relations established for the other species would suggest. Also, the vermal length of man falls short of the allometric rule established for the other species.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published13Shapes and sizes of different mammalian cerebella: A study in quantitative comparative neuroanatomy1501715423Braitenberg19933VBraitenberg1993-01-00141117NetworkThe well defined histology of the cerebellar cortex makes it possible to translate its structure directly into statements about the transformation of cerebellar input into output. In the system of ‘parallel fibres’ the input activity is shifted in space and time in an anisotropic way. One consequence of this is that input patterns moving across the cerebellar cortex at a velocity corresponding to that of conduction in parallel fibres should elicit a much larger response than static input.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6The cerebellar network: attempt at a formalization of its structure150171542368913VBraitenbergFPulvermüller1992-03-00379103117Naturwissenschaftennonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published14Entwurf einer neurologischen Theorie der Sprache150171542369173VBraitenbergHPreissl1992-00-0015715717Behavioral and Brain Sciencesnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2Why is the output of the cerebellum inhibitory?150171542369263VBraitenberg1990-01-0011111NetworkIt is a fashionable philosophical tenet to consider Darwinian evolution as a process which incorporates knowledge into brains. We ask ourselves: can this knowledge about the world be recognised in the structure of brains? The present article gives a partial answer to this. Mechanisms of information handling and storage may well be related to the impressive major cortices of the vertebrate brain, the cerebral and the cerebellar cortices. The structure of the first fits the idea of an associative memory while the second strongly suggests computation of movement in terms of velocities. In some insect brains the mechanisms of visual perception can be related to detailed neuroanatomical structure, and one such network incorporates knowledge about the optics of a camera-type eye. Another one provides the wiring that would be expected in a set of velocity detectors using the principle of cross-correlation of neighbouring inputs.
Knowledge acquired during a lifetime is also laid down in brains but the search for the engram in the structure of brains has not yet been very successful.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published10Reading the structure of brains150171542369243VBraitenberg1990-00-002213227Sistemi Intelligentinonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published14La corteccia cerebrale come sede di memoria associativa150171542317853VBraitenbergASchüz1989-05-00519897486Spektrum der Wissenschaftnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published12Cortex: hohe Ordnung oder grösstmögliches Durcheinander?150171542369283VBraitenberg1989-00-00953945Kursbuchnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6Der Wurm im Ich150171542369323VBraitenberg1988-00-0091161171Kursbuchnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published10Monistische Meditationen150171542369453VBraitenberg1986-00-00845256Kursbuchnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published4Lalula: das Nichtverstandenwerden und die Sprache69443VBraitenberg1986-00-00198638633866Das Fenster: Tiroler Kulturzeitschriftnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published3Sieben Schnitte durch die Wissenschaft150171542369583VBraitenberg1985-00-008019Kursbuchnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8Gescheit sein!150171542369603VBraitenberg1984-00-00783545Kursbuchnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published10Tentakeln des Geistes150171542369663VBraitenberg1983-00-003521541Giornale Italiano di Psicologianonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published20Alla ricerca di morfemi all&lsquo;interno del cervello150171542369633VBraitenberg1983-00-002237241Journal of Theoretical Neurobiologynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published4The cerebellum revisited150171542369683VBraitenberg1982-00-003131143120Das Fenster: Tiroler Kulturzeitschriftnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6Das Gehirn: die graue Eminenz des Verhaltens150171542339073VBraitenbergCBraitenberg1979-08-00333179186Biological CyberneticsThe optimal direction of lines in the visual field to which neurons in the visual cortex respond changes in a regular way when the recording electrode progresses tangentially through the cortex (Hubel and Wiesel, 1962). It is possible to reconstruct the field of orientations from long, sometimes multiple parallel penetrations (Hubel and Wiesel, 1974; Albus, 1975) by assuming that the orientations are arranged radially around centers. A method is developed which makes it possible to define uniquely the position of the centers in the vicinity of the electrode track. They turn out to be spaced at distances of about 0.5 mm and may be tentatively identified with the positions of the giant cells of Meynert.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de//fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/Geometry%20of%20Orientation%20Columns%20in%20the%20Visual%20Cortex_3907[0].pdfpublished7Geometry of orientation columns in the visual cortex150171542368923VBraitenberg1977-09-00299186196Annals of the New York Academy of Sciencesnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published10The concept of symmetry in neuroanatomy150171542368933WBurkhardtVBraitenberg1976-10-003173287308Cell and Tissue ResearchIn the lamina ganglionaris, the first optic ganglion of the fly, the inventory of cell types as well as the patterns of their connections are well known from light microscopic investigations. Even the synaptic contacts are known with relative completeness. However, the structural details visible on electron micrographs are very difficult to interpret in functional terms. This paper concentrates on two aspects: 1) the synaptic complex between a retinula cell axon and four postsynaptic elements, arranged in a constant elongated array (it is suggested that all synapses in which the retinula cell is presynaptic are of this kind), and 2) the ldquognarlrdquo complex in which a presynaptic specialization in one neuron is separated from another neuron by a complicated glial invagination. The participation of glia at postsynaptic sites seems to be quite common in this ganglion. Occasionally it seems that a glia cell is the only postsynaptic partner facing a presynaptic specialization within a neuron.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published21Some peculiar synaptic complexes in the first visual ganglion of the fly, Musca domestica150171542368953VBraitenberg1975-12-0061351351Neuroscience Lettersnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Letter to the editor150171542368963VBraitenberg1974-08-00246421427Journal of Theoretical Biologynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6Thoughts on the cerebral cortex150171542369833VBraitenbergPDebbage1974-03-001902531Journal of Comparative PhysiologyIn the first visual ganglion of the fly (Musca domestica) there are many similar visual channels (ldquocartridgesrdquo), connected to each other by various systems of fibers, the most regular of which consists of the collateral branches of the L4 neuron, which is contained in each cartridge.
The three collaterals of L4 run to three different cartridges, one of which is the parent cartridge of the neuron, the other two being neighbours of that cartridge in two directions of an hexagonal array (Figs. 1a, 3).
Within each cartridge there are thus the endings of three collaterals (from three different L4 neurons). These make close physical contact, and serial sectioning shows that each collateral is presynaptic to the other two (Fig. 2). It follows that there are reciprocal synapses between any pair of these collaterals.
The network of relationships thus set up is the simplest scheme of coupling in a hexagonal array (Fig. 1a, b, c).nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6A regular net of reciprocal synapses in the visual system of the fly, Musca domestica150171542368973VBraitenberg1973-07-001656International Journal of Neurosciencenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published1Remarks on the Texture of Brains150171542368983VBraitenbergHHauser-Holschuh1972-12-00216184209Experimental Brain ResearchA method was developed for the numbering of the 3,000 subunits of the lamina ganglionaris on eleotronmicroscopical preparations. Thus measurements of fiber size could be related to the position of the elements on a map of the ganglion. A striking gradient of the thickness of one of the lamina neurons, L3, was found to be correlated with the size of the corresponding lenses of the compound eye. The size of two more second order neurons, L1 and L2 also varies depending on their position in the ganglion, but according to a pattern different from that of the variation of L3. These findings are discussed in connexion with current models of movement perception in the fly.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published25Patterns of projection in the visual system of the fly II: Quantitative aspects of second order neurons in relation to models of movement perception150171542368993VBraitenberg1970-12-0067235242KybernetikThe neural elements in the visual ganglia of insects show an uncommonly high degree of order. The mapping of the array of sensory elements in the periphery (of sampling points in the visual space) onto four successive levels of the ganglionic chain can be quite precisely described, each neuron in the ganglia being related to a point, or a set of points, in the visual field. Also some of the fibers which connect neurons related to different visual-space-points are very precisely oriented. One of these sets of fibers oriented obliquely appear to match the interactions postulated on the basis of one of Götz&lsquo;s (1968) models of movement perception in flies. Some embryological questions are also raised by the high degree of order and by the curious mirror symmetry with respect to the mid-sagittal plane on one hand and to the equatorial plane on the other, which pervades the whole system.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published7Ordnung und Orientierung der Elemente im Sehsystem der Fliege150171542369893NJStrausfeldVBraitenberg1970-06-0027095104Zeitschrift für Vergleichende PhysiologieIn addition to the three first order interneurons (L1, L2, L3) which are present in each optic cartridge of the lamina, a fourth type of interneuron (L4) has been discovered whose collaterals to other cartridges compose an orderly network arrangement of fibres under the lamina&lsquo;s inner face.Zusätzlich zu den drei Interneuronen erster Ordnung (L1, L2, L3), die in jeder ldquorCartridgeldquo der Lamina vorkommen, wurde ein vierter Interneuronentyp (L4) gefunden, dessen zu anderen Cartridges gerichtete Kollateralen ein regelmäßig angeordnetes Fasernetz an der Innenseite der Lamina bilden.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published9The compound eye of the fly (Musca domestica): connections between the cartridges of the lamina ganglionaris150171542369003VBraitenbergMKemali1970-02-002138137146Journal of Comparative NeurologyFifty series of sections through the frog&lsquo;s brain, four series of the newt&lsquo;s brain and two series of the eel&lsquo;s brain were searched for asymmetries in the epithalamic region. Marked differences between the right and left habenular nuclei were found in all cases, in the sense that the left one had a more lobate structure than its right counterpart.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published9Exceptions to bilateral symmetry in the epithalamus of lower vertebrates150171542369903VBraitenberg1970-00-0035-364348Attemptononotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5Hirnforschung zwischen Lokalisationslehre und Systemanalyse150171542317283WReichardtVBraitenbergGWeidel1968-11-0045148169Kybernetiknonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published21Auslösung von Elementarprozessen durch einzelne Lichtquanten im Fliegenauge: Verhaltensexperimente an der Stubenfliege Musca150171542370073VBraitenberg1968-00-00110365211217Atti della Accademia Nazionale dei Linceinonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6Contributi tecnici e concettuali dell'elettronica allo studio dei cervelli viventi150171542334013VBraitenbergKKirschfeld1968-00-0031968185206Mitteilungen der Max-Planck-Gesellschaftnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published21Optische und neurale Projektion der Umwelt auf die Ganglien im Komplexauge der Fliege1501715423150171542369013VBraitenbergVGuglielmottiESada1967-11-00642277283Stain TechnologyThe surface of the specimens subjected to a modified Golgi technique (formalin fixed material; specimens in the following solution for 8-10 days at 27 C: 3% K2Cr2O7, 100 ml, with the addition of 2.5-10 ml of 10% formalin and 6-25 gm of sucrose; then in 0.75% AgNO3 for at least 2 days at 27 C) is sometimes covered with a fur of filamentous crystals and sometimes with a powdery precipitate of laminar crystals. In a series of experiments in which about 500 blocks of tissue were treated with variations of the staining procedure, good axonal stain was positively correlated with the appearance of filamentous crystals. These filaments have a thickness of 1-4 &#956; and grow at a rate of 160-330 &#956;/hr, reaching a length of 2-7 mm.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6Correlation of CrystaL Growth with the Staining of Axons by the Golgi Procedure69033VBraitenberg1967-10-0026201216Brain Researchnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published15On the use of theories, models and cybernetical toys in brain research69053VBraitenberg1967-03-0033271298Experimental Brain ResearchIn each compound eye of the fly about 3200 ommatidia are arranged in a peculiarly distorted hexagonal array. Each ommatidium contains 7+1 rhabdomeres arranged in the asymmetrical pattern of the retinula. 7 fibers leaving each ommatidium are distributed onto 7 synaptic sites in the first optic ganglion (lamina ganglionaris), again arranged asymmetrically around the axis of the ommatidium. Taking into account the distortion of the macroscopical array and considering Kirschfeld&lsquo;s findings on the optical properties of the ommatidial lens, this complicated pattern of projection can be explained by the simple principle that all the fibers carrying information from the same point of the optical environment are united into one synaptic site of the lamina ganglionaris.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published27Patterns of projection in the visual system of the fly. I. Retina-lamina projections69103VBraitenberg1966-06-00252212214Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Physiologienonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2Unsymmetrische Projektion der Retinulazellen auf die Lamina ganglionaris bei der Fliege Musca domestica69063VBraitenbergCTFerretti1966-03-00653155155Naturwissenschaftennonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Landing reaction of musca domestica induced by visual stimuli69073VBraitenberg1965-10-0062284287KybernetikSome records, obtained from the surface of the optic tectum of the frog with moving visual stimuli are presented as evidence of a global oscillation of the tectal activity whose time course is specific for different patterns of stimulation.
The research reported in this document has been sponsored by the 6570th Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory under grant AF EOAR 65-44 through the European Office of Aerospace Research (OAR), United States Air Force.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published3Electroencephalographic evidence of "Gestalt" in the perception of movement by the frog69083VBraitenbergGGambardellaGGhigoUVota1965-06-0052197205Kybernetiknonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8Observations on spike sequences from spontaneously active Purkinje cells in the frog69093VBraitenberg1965-05-0038419425Journal of Theoretical BiologyThe distribution of intervals between successive spikes in the output of a cerebellar neuron of the frog can be readily obtained. It is reasonable to assume that the distribution of levels of excitation in the input of the neuron be Gaussian. From the comparison of the two distributions the function can be inferred which relates inter-spike intervals to levels of afferent excitation. The function obtained is in good agreement with some well-known curves describing the variation of the threshold after each spike, suggesting that the mechanisms by which spike sequences are generated is essentially based on this threshold variation.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6What can be learned from spike interval histograms about synaptic mechanisms70113VBraitenbergESada1964-00-003126572Laboratorio Scientificononotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published7Osservazioni sul metodo cromoargentico di Golgi70143VBraitenberg1963-00-0098233238Scientianonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5Considerazioni cibernetiche sulla logica69123VBraitenberg1962-04-002118141156Journal of Comparative Neurologynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published15A note on myeloarchitectonics70013VBraitenberg1961-05-004775190539540Naturenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published1Functional Interpretation of Cerebellar Histology70023VBraitenberg1961-01-001448489496Naturwissenschaftennonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published7Funktionelle Deutung von Strukturen in der grauen Substanz des Nervensystems70273VBraitenberg1961-00-005515Scientianonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published4Sulle possibili ragioni dell&lsquo;eccellenza dei cervelli naturali rispetto a quelli artificiali70283VBraitenbergFLauria1960-10-00Supplement 218149165Il Nuovo Cimentononotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published16Toward a mathematical description of the grey substance of nervous systems70293VBraitenberg1959-09-00Supplement 213521531Il Nuovo Cimentononotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published10Morphology of nerve nets70303VBraitenbergERCaianielloFLauriaNOnesto1959-01-00211278282Il Nuovo Cimentononotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published4A system of coupled oscillators as a functional model of neuronal assemblies70313VBraitenberg1959-00-001119Methodosnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8L&lsquo;imitazione degli automi naturali69133VBraitenbergRPAtwood1958-02-001109133Journal of Comparative Neurologynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published32Morphological observations on the cerebellar cortex69143VBraitenbergBCallieri1955-10-00525771786Rivista di Neurologianonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de//fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/RivNeurologia-1955-25-55_6914[0].pdfpublished15Malattia demielinizzante tipo Schilder a decorso acutissimo70353VBraitenberg1955-00-003365Laboratorio Scientificononotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published-65Il metodo più rapido di colorazione delle fibre mieliniche70343GSpaccarelliVBraitenberg1955-00-0019419433Recenti Progressi in Medicinanonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published14Storia dei bromuri e dei composti organici di sintesi nella cura dell&lsquo;epilessia69153VBraitenberg1954-04-001496365367Münchener Medizinische Wochenschriftnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2Zur Frage der anatomischen Veränderungen des Gehirns bei Schizophrenie69163AEderliVBraitenberg1953-04-0022397126Rivista di Neurologianonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de//fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/RivNeurologia-1953-23-53_6916[0].pdfpublished29Sugli astrocitomi diffusi70373VBraitenberg1953-00-0013398409Il Lavoro Neuropsichiatricononotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published11Sulle strie orizzontali della corteccia cerebraleBraitenbergR2007_27VBraitenbergFJRadermacherMenaggio, Italy2007-00-00Villa Vigoni Konferenz 1997nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Elementary Neural Mechanisms for Linguistic Modelling150171542369217VBraitenbergTrieste, Italy1995-00-00Second International Symposium on Conceptual Tools for Understanding Nature 1992nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0The cerebellar network150171542317797ASchüzVBraitenbergGöttingen, Germany1994-00-00161169Symposium in the Memory of Otto D. Creutzfeldt 1993nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8Constraints to a random plan of cortical connectivity150171542317837VBraitenbergASchüzCortona, Italy1992-00-0089102NATO Advanced Study Institute on Language Origin: a Multidisciplinary Approach 1988nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published13Basic features of cortical connectivity and some considerations on language150171542369227VBraitenbergViareggio, Italy1991-00-00Congresso Nuovi Problemi della Logica e della Filosofia della Scienza 1990nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Logics at different levels in the brain150171542369297VBraitenbergLos Alamos, NM, USA1988-00-00555565Interdisciplinary Workshop on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systemsnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/Some_types_of_movements.pdfpublished10Some Types of Movements150171542369337VBraitenbergAmalfi, Italy1987-00-007578Physics of cognitive processes: Amalfi 1986nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published3Some problems in brain science awaiting theoretical treatment150171542369357VBraitenbergGPalmSan Gimignano, Italy1986-00-002732Congresso Logica e Filosofia della Scienza Oggi 1983nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5Describing the brain in logical terms or the logical terms in the brain150171542369477VBraitenbergTrieste, Italy1986-00-008196First Trieste Meeting on Brain Theory 1984The cerebral cortex, one half of the cerebral grey substance in mice and men, is what any detailed theory of the workings of the nervous system ought to explain, or at least, ought to make use of. In fact, theoretical papers ranging from 1943 to 1985 and from rather realistic views to frankly speculative constructs have made explicit reference to the cortex and perhaps even have influenced the ideas of some experimenters. Cortical anatomists and physiologists, in turn, learned to shape their findings so as to make them acceptable to the theoreticians. The resulting situation of reciprocal positive feedback had some stable solutions:
The random network with or without learning. Lashley’s philosophy is of this category, as is Hebb’s theory of cell assemblies. Rosenblatt’s perceptron is also a descendant.
The circuit diagram in the spirit of radio engineering. The amplifier entered neurophysiology from communication engineering and with it came various ideas, the most enticing being that of functional secrets embodied in loops of wires connecting tubes, condensers and the like. The neuroanatomists responded quickly with loops of fibres connecting various sorts of neurons in the cortex (Lorente de No and others).
The digital computer and a logical theory of nerve nets. This was soon recognized as a misleading analogy, but the digital computer has at any rate among all models of cortical function the unique distinction of being a very useful machine. And the theory formulated by McCulloch and Pitts (1956), made more palatable by Kleene (1956), lent the brain a flair of almightiness which was gratefully recognized by many.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published15Two views of the cerebral cortex150171542369697VBraitenbergSalerno, Italy1982-04-00127132Workshop on Biomathematics: Current Status and Future PerspectivesThis chapter presents an outline of a theory of the cerebral cortex. The number of cells in both hemispheres of the cerebral cortex of man amounts to about 1010. The majority of these belong to a type called the “pyramidal cell.” It is characterized, among other things, by an axon leaving the cortex at one point to re-enter it at another and to make synaptic connections there. The great internal complexity, compared to the complexity of the input and the output, is characteristic for the cerebral cortex. The fact that the cortex of man (and of other mammals) is the largest piece of gray matter of the whole brain is related to this complexity. The optic tectum, the most impressive cortex of lower vertebrates, is far less complex: the number of neurons in the (frog) tectum is about the same as the number of afferent fibers.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5Outline of a theory of the cerebral cortex150171542369707VBraitenbergDebrecen, Hungary1981-00-0028728928th International Congress of Physiological Sciences 1980nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2A selection of facts and conjectures about the cerebral cortex inspired by the theory of cell assemblies150171542369717VBraitenbergDebrecen, Hungary1981-00-0041142028th International Congress of Physiological Sciences 1980nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published9Anatomical basis for divergence, convergence and integration in the cerebral cortex150171542369737VBraitenbergRegensburg, Germany1979-06-0020120672. Jahresversammlung der Deutschen Zoologischen Gesellschaftnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5Skizze einer Theorie der Grosshirnrinde150171542369787VBraitenbergTübingen, Germany1978-00-00171188Symposium Theoretical Approaches to Complex Systems 1977To say that an animal responds to sensory stimuli may not be the most natural and efficient way to describe behaviour. Rather, it appears that animals most of the time react to situations, to opponents or things which they actively isolate from their environment, Situations, things, partners or opponents are, in a way, the terms of behaviour. It is legitimate, therefore, to ask what phenomena correspond to them in the internal activity of the brain, or, in other words: how are the meaningful chunks of experience “represented” in the brain?nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/Theoretical-Approaches-to-Complex-Systems-1977-Braitenberg-171.pdfpublished17Cell assemblies in the cerebral cortex150171542368947VBraitenbergAmsterdam, Netherlands1976-00-001972059th International Summer School of Brain Research 1975nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8Real Neural Networks150171542369817VBraitenbergSan Francisco, CA, USA1975-09-001141161975 International Conference on Cybernetics and Societynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2The cerebral cortex from a neuroanatomical vantage point150171542369827VBraitenbergTrieste, Italy1974-00-00290298Summer School organized by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, and the Institute for Information Sciences, University of Tübingen 1973Situations within the central nervous system are elusive when we try to render them in anything more abstract than approximate verbal descriptions. A description in terms of ionic movements through cell membranes, for example, might be useful when dealing with information transmission in sense cells but becomes unwieldy if applied to situations involving many neurons of the brain. Attempts at applying the formalism of a logical calculus, inspired by the success of binary algebra in dealing with switching networks, seem to impose a restriction on the working of neurons (e.g. by assuming discrete time) which is not justified by electrophysiology. Occasionally an insight may be gained by reasoning in terms of channel capacity, amount of information and redundancy, but this language again seems more successful in the analysis of peripheral sensory events than in the study of central processes.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8On the representation of objects and their relations in the brain150171542369887VBraitenbergZürich, Switzerland1972-03-00315Symposium on Information Processing in the Visual Systems of AnthropodsThe orderly projection of the visual space onto the visual ganglia and of the planes of the four visual ganglia onto each other is briefly reviewed. The variation of the size of some of the elements in the eye and of the ganglia is then described. This variation follows different gradients for different elements. The gradient of the size of the lenses in the cornea and that of the thickness of the L3 fiber in the lamina have a similar shape, with a maximum near the anterior border of the eye. The thickness of L1 and L2 follow a different rule. A correlation of these gradients with some variations of the efficiency of visual stimuli in different regions of the visual field leads to a tentative proposal for the role of the laminar neurons L1, L2 and L3 in perception.
This paper is organized in tow section. In the first, I shall collect information about the structures of the eye and the visual ganglia of the fly, insofar as they fit into the periodic scheme which makes the mapping of the various levels onto each other possible. In the second part, on the background of this periodic structure we shall discuss some striking quantitative variations which follow warious gradients throughout the visual system. This second part is largely drawm from a paper written together with H. HAUSER, which is now in press.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published12Periodic structures and structural gradients in the visual ganglia of the fly150171542369877VBraitenbergWien, Austria1972-00-0018Symposium on Synchronization of EEG Activity in Epilepsies 1971For several years I have been interested in the visual ganglia of the fly and in their role as an automatic pilot during the flight of this humble animal. Very generously the organizers of this meeting, gave me an opportunity to participate even if I could not bring any evidence of seizures in flies. I feel it is only fair, then, that I should repay their magnanimous view of the field of neurology with some remarks sufficiently broad to embrace both flies and men. I shall use the concept of cortex as a convenient bridge between such distant objects of research.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published7Comparison of different cortices as a basis for speculations on their function150171542369847VBraitenbergLeipzig, German Democratic Republic1972-00-009397III. International Symposium on Biocybernetics, Satellite Symposium of the XXVth International Congress of Physiological Sciences 1971nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published4In search of the neurological wiring responsible for optomotor reactions in insects150171542370057VBraitenbergLeipzig, German Democratic Republic1972-00-00215220III. International Symposium on Biocybernetics, Satellite Symposium of the XXVth International Congress of Physiological Sciences 1971nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5What sort of computer do we expect to find associated with the compound eye of flying insects?150171542370037VBraitenbergCascania Terme, Italy1971-10-004253Congresso di Cibernetica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerchenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published11The structure of the visual ganglia in relation to studies on movement perception in the fly150171542369947VBraitenbergVarenna, Italy1969-00-00328340International School of Physics "Enrico Fermi": Course XLIII, 1968nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published12The Anatomical Substratum of Visual Perception in Flies: A Sketch of the Visual Ganglia150171542370087VBraitenbergRavello, Italy1968-00-003442School on Neural Networks 1967In many instances we find information reaching the brain from the sense organs again displayed in geometrical order in some space which has one or more coordinates easily identifiable with coordinates of the sensory space represented. This is trivially true for the visual and tactile maps, more interestingly true for the representation of frequencies in the auditory system. Here the metrics of the internal representation, on a space coordinate representing the logarithm of frequency, corresponds even to the subjective metrics of pitch perception and therefore to the metrics of a piano keyboard, as was shown again at this meeting by Evans in the case of the cochlear nucleus. Only for the chemical senses, olfaction and taste, we have no clue yet as to the meaning of the coordinates of their spatial display within the brain.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8On chiasms69937VBraitenbergDayton, OH, USA1968-00-007th Bionics Symposium 1966nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0On the neural optics behind the eye of the fly150171542370097VBraitenbergNapoli, Italy1965-00-0016Course held at the International School of Physics 1962nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5A note on the control of voluntary movements70107VBraitenbergWien, Austria1964-09-00Gemeinsame Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Biophysik e.V., der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Reine und Angewandte Biophysik und der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Strahlenbiologienonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Rückschlüsse auf die Funktionscharakteristik einzelner Neurone aus der Statistik spontaner Spikefolgen70137VBraitenbergRoma, Italy1963-06-00155182X. Convegno Internazionale Tecnico-Scientifico sullo Spazio, XVII Rassegna Internazionale Elettronica Nucleare e Teleradiocinematograficanonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published27Alcuni modelli funzionali della corteccia telencefalica dei Mammiferi70157VBraitenbergAmsterdam, Netherlands1963-00-00160176Symposium on Cybernetics of the Nervous System, 2nd International Meeting of Medical Cybernetics 1962nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published16Histology, histonomy, histologic70267VBraitenbergNOnestoNapoli, Italy1962-00-003191. Congresso Internazionale di Medicina Cibernetica 1960nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published16The cerebellar cortex as a timing organ: Discussion of an hypothesis70387VBraitenbergRoma, Italy1952-00-006216261st International Conference on Neuropathologynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de//fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/Braitenberg_[0].pdfpublished5Ricerche istopatologiche sulla corteccia frontale di schizofrenici38172VBraitenbergSpringer ItaliaMilano, Italy2006-01-003138Imagination and Rigor: Essays on Eduardo R. Caianiellos Scientific Heritagenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published7Remarks on the Semantics of "Information"1501715423CrespiReghizziB20032SCrespi ReghizziVBraitenbergTaylor & FrancisLondon, UK2003-00-001732Grammars and automata for string processing: from mathematics and computer science to biology, and backChomsky’s theory of syntax came after criticism of probabilistic associative models of word order in sentences. Immediate constituent structures are plausible but their description by generative grammars has met with difficulties. The type 2 (context-free) grammars account for constituent structure, but already trespass the mathematical capacity required by language, because they generate unnatural mathematical sets: a consequence of being based on recursive function theory. Abstract associative models investigated by formal language theoreticians (Schutzenberger, McNaughton, Papert, Brzozowsky, Simon) are known as locally testable models. A combination of locally testable and constituent structure models is proposed under the name of Associative Language Description, arguing that it equals type 2 grammars in explanatory adequacy, yet is compatible with brain models. Two versions of ALD are exemplified and discussed: one based on modulation, the other on pattern rules. A sketch of brain organization in terms of cell assemblies and synfire chains concludes.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/Crespi_Braitenberg03.pdfpublished15Towards a brain compatible theory of syntax based on local testability150171542316162ASchüzVBraitenbergTaylor & FrancisLondon, UK2002-05-00377385Cortical areas: unity and diversitynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8The Human Cortical White Matter: Quantitative Aspects of Cortico-Cortical Long-Range Connectivity1501715421150171542311962ASchüzVBraitenbergElsevierAmsterdam, The Netherlands2001-00-0016341660International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral SciencesThis article deals with the anatomy of the cortex and shows how its particular structure is suited for higher cognitive functions. The cortex is one of several pieces of gray matter with a mainly two-dimensional layout. It is composed of layers which are to do with the arrangement of input and output systems but can also be visualized in cell body and myelin stains. The variety of neuronal types can be divided into two main classes: neurons with many dendritic spines, excitatory synapses, and both short-range and long-range connections, and neurons with few or no spines, inhibitory synapses, and only short-range connections. Most of the neurons in the cortex are of the spiny type (pyramidal cells) and most of the synapses are synapses between neurons of this type. The main distinction between the cortex and the other major parts of the brain are (a) the overwhelming connectivity of the cortex with itself, and (b) the fact that this network is excitatory. This enables the cortex to deal with correlations in the outside world, a prerequisite for higher cognitive functions, as it is assumed in the Hebbian theory of cell assemblies and the Abelesian theory of synfire chains. The human cortex can be divided into more than 50 areas on the basis of variations in the appearance of layers, input and output systems, and electrophysiological properties. Areas often have a columnar substructure, which is in many cases related to the local separation of different kinds of input. Cortical areas are richly connected among themselves, the pattern of connections reflecting the preprocessing within modalities, preceding global operations.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published26Cerebral cortex: Organization and Function1501715423150171542314332VBraitenbergUniversità degli Studi di TrentoTrento, Italy2001-00-00239241Il Laboratorio di scienze cognitive dell'Università degli studi di Trento: Saggi e Lavori, Novembre 1999 - Dicembre 2000nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2Remarks on the semantics of "information"150171542314322VBraitenbergUniversitá degli Studi di TrentoTrento, Italy2001-00-00470479Il Laboratorio di scienze cognitive dell'Università degli studi di Trento: Saggi e Lavori, Novembre 1999 - Dicembre 2000nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published9Sketch of a proof of Goldbach&lsquo;s conjecture150171542314342VBraitenbergHarwood AcademicAmsterdam, Netherlands2000-00-00391396Time and the brainnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5Postlude: The neuroanatomy of time15017154236012VBraitenbergRowohltReinbek bei Hamburg, Germany1996-00-00119129Die Natur ist unser Modell von ihr: Forschung und Philosophie ; das Bozner Treffen 1995nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published10Entspringt die Logik dem Gehirn oder das Gehirn der Logik?15017154236022VBraitenbergASchüzKlett-CottaStuttgart, Germany1996-00-00211221Wörterbuch der Kognitionswissenschaftnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published10Gehirn (brain)15017154236092JMZankerVBraitenbergElsevierAmsterdam, Netherlands1996-00-001936Brain theory: biological basis and computational principlesnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published17Psychophysical Mapping of Orientation Sensitivity in the Human Cortex150171542369182VBraitenbergHPreisslCambridge University PressCambridge, Great Britain1994-00-00113115Movement controlnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2Why is the output of the cerebellum inhibitory?150171542368652VBraitenbergRowohltReinbek bei Hamburg, Germany1994-00-00153171Evolution: Entwicklung und Organisation in der Natur ; das Bozner Treffen 1993nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published18Wie kommen Ideen ins Gehirn?150171542317802VBraitenbergASchüzSpringerBerlin, Germany1993-00-00485485Neuro- und Sinnesphysiologierevised editions in 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2005nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Allgemeine Neuroanatomie150171542368582VBraitenbergElsevierAmsterdam, Netherlands1993-00-00307307Brain Theory: Spatio-Temporal Aspects of Brain Functionnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Intricacies of Movement Control: an essay150171542339062VBraitenbergSpringerBerlin, Germany1992-06-00447450Information Processing in the Cortex: Experiments and Theorynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de//fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/How%20ideas%20survive_3906[0].pdfpublished3How Ideas Survive Evidence to the Contrary: a Comment of Data Display and Modelling150171542369202VBraitenbergSpringerBerlin, Germany1992-00-00473477Information Processing in the Cortex: Experiments and TheoryReprinted in: Biology and Computation: a Physists Approach, H. Gutfreund, G. Toulouse (1994), pp.82-86, World
Scientific, Singaporenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published4Manifesto of brain science150171542369232VBraitenbergSpringerNew York, NY, USA1991-00-00107120Models of Neural Networksnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published13Information from structure: a sketch of neuroanatomy150171542369252VBraitenbergSuhrkampFrankfurt am Main, Germany1990-00-00331347Vor der Jahrtausendwende: Bericht zur Lage der Zukunftnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published16Durch ein schmales Fenster betrachtet150171542369272VBraitenbergFeltrinelliMilano, Italy1989-00-00195204Mente umana, mente artificialeOriginal: Reading the structures of brainsnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published9Leggere la struttura del cervello150171542369302VBraitenbergMIT PressCambridge, MA, USA1989-00-00137145Neural connections, mental computationnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8Some Arguments for a Theory of Cell Assemblies in the Cerebral Cortex150171542369342VBraitenbergBirkhäuserBoston, MA, USA1987-00-00176178Encyclopedia of neurosciencenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published2Structural Symmetries of Brains150171542369312VBraitenbergPlenum PressNew York, NY, USA1987-00-00193207Cerebellum and neuronal plasticitynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/The_Cerebellum_and_the_Physics_of_Movement.pdfpublished14The Cerebellum and the Physics of Movement: Some Speculations150171542369462VBraitenbergOldenbourgMünchen, Germany1986-00-00205216Der Informationsbegriff in Technik und Wissenschaft: wissenschaftliches Symposium der IBM Deutschland GmbH, 3. - 5. Dezember 1984 in Bad Neuenahrnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published11Was das Gehirn mit Information zu tun hat150171542339362VBraitenbergPlenum PressNew York, NY, USA1985-06-00379414Cerebral Cortex: Visual Cortexnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de//fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/Charting%20the%20Visual%20Cortex_Braitenberg_3936[0].pdfpublished35Charting the visual cortex150171542369532VBraitenbergWileyChichester1985-00-00479484Models of the visual cortexnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5An isotropic network which implicitly defines orientation columns: discussion of a hypothetis150171542369562VBraitenbergNaukaLeningrad, Soviet Union1985-00-003442Associativnye sistemy mozgaAssociative systems in the cerebral cortex of the mousenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8Associativnaja sistema v kore golovnogo mozga mysi150171542369552VBraitenbergRostovskij Gosudarstvennyj UniversitetRostov-na-Donu, Soviet Union1985-00-00115118Problemy nejrofiziologii i nejrokibernetikiQuantitative aspects of cortical anatomy in the light of the theory of cell assembliesnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published3Kolicestvennye aspekty anatomii kory golovnogo mozga v svete teorii nejronnych ansamblej150171542369622VBraitenbergEnkeStuttgart, Germany1984-00-00123133Pathophysiologie des Sehens: Grundlagenforschung und Klinik der visuellen Sensoriknonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published10Das Raster der neuronalen Elemente in der Sehrinde und seine neuro-physiologischen Konsequenzen150171542369592MFahleVBraitenbergSpringerBerlin, Germany1984-00-00186200Cerebellar Functionsnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published14Some quantitative aspects of cerebellar anatomy as a guide to speculation on cerebellar functions150171542317932VBraitenbergASchüzAcademic PressLondon, UK1983-00-002137Neurobiology of the Hippocampusnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/files/publications/Hippocampus_Braitenberg_Schuez.pdfpublished16Some anatomical comments on the Hippocampus150171542369722VBraitenbergFranco AngeliMilano, Italy1980-00-0096108L‘accostamento interdisciplinare allo studio del linguaggiononotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published12Alcune considerazioni sui meccanismi cerebrali del linguaggio150171542369792VBraitenbergRaven PressNew York, NY, USA1978-00-00443465Architectonics of the cerebral cortexnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published22Cortical architectonics: General and areal150171542369742GPalmVBraitenbergWileyNew York, NY, USA1978-00-00369374Progress in cybernetics and systems research: General systems methodology, fuzzy mathematics and fuzzy systems, biocybernetics and theoretical neurobiologynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published5Tentative contributions of neuroanatomy to nerve net theories150171542369802VBraitenbergSpringerBerlin, Germany1976-00-00238244Neural principles in visionnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published6Beyond the wiring diagram of the lamina ganglionaris in the fly150171542369852VBraitenbergVan Nostrand ReinholdNew York, NY, USA1973-00-00229232The encyclopedia of microscopy and microtechniquenonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published3Golgi methods150171542369862VBraitenbergNJStrausfeldSpringerBerlin, Germany1973-00-00631659Central processing of visual information, Part A: Integrative functions and comparative datanonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published28Principles of the mosaic organization in the visual system&lsquo;s neuropil of Musca domestica150171542334302VBraitenbergKKirschfeldUmschau VerlagFrankfurt a. M., Germany1970-00-00105113Kybernetik: Brücke zwischen den Wissenschaftennonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published8Datenübertragung im Klomplexauge der Fliege1501715423150171542370062VBraitenbergLittle, Brown & Co.Boston, MA, USA1969-00-00768771Basic Mechanisms of the epilepsiesnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published3Models of brain function: Discussion150171542369042VBraitenbergElsevierAmsterdam, Netherlands1967-00-00334346The Cerebellumnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published12Is the Cerebellar Cortex a Biological Clock in the Millisecond Range?150171542369112VBraitenbergElsevierAmsterdam, Netherlands1965-00-00210222Cybernetics of the Nervous Systemnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published12Taxis, Kinesis and Decussation1501715423Braitenberg19642VBraitenbergConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheRoma, Italy1964-00-004350Ricerche teoriche e sperimentali di cibernetica svolte nell'anno accademico 1961-1962 nel Laboritorio di cibernetica presso l'Istitutio di fisica teorica dell'Università di Napolinonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published7Ricerche di neuroanatomia e fisiologia70122VBraitenbergHarper & RowNew York, NY, USA1964-00-00Cross-cultural understanding: epistemology in anthropologynonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Some old ideas about the human brain from a recent point of view70322WWahrenVBraitenbergThiemeStuttgart, Germany1959-00-004264Einführung in die stereotaktischen Operationen mit einem Atlas des menschlichen Gehirnsnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published22The brain as a whole70332VBraitenbergThiemeStuttgart, Germany1956-00-00183203Das Hirntrauma: Beiträge zur Behandlung, Begutachtung und Betreuung Hirnverletzternonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published20Die Gliederung der Stirnhirnrinde auf Grund ihres Markfaserbaus70362VBraitenbergSansoniFirenze, Italy1955-00-00Enciclopedia medica italiananonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Ponte49127MValverdeVBraitenbergTrieste, Italy2007-09-003639th Annual General Meeting of the European Brain and Behaviour Society (EBBS 2007)“Optical imaging” maps of the visual cortex after systematic
application of variously oriented visual stimuli provide an
opportunity to test different hypotheses on the distribution
of orientation sensitive neurons over the surface of the cortex.
Rectilinear “slabs” of uniform orientation, as postulated
in some earlier models, are not supported by the evidence.
What is compatible with the optical imaging maps is the
arrangement of neurons with different orientation around
centers, regularly spaced at distances of about 0.5mm in a
hexagonal array. According to the model proposed by [3],
the orientations to which the neurons are sensitive should
be arranged either radially, or, more likely, like the tangents [1] of circles around said centers, whereby in either case twice the same orientation occurs in opposite positions of the “hypercolumn” thus defined. The centers of the hypercolumns very likely coincide with the so-called cytochrome oxidase “blobs” which are spaced at the same distance. The fact that within these “blobs” orientation tuning of cortical neurons becomes undefined [4], makes the array of orientations around these centers less spectacular, and indeed other interpretations of the coloured maps produced by optical recording were put forward. So-called “pinwheels” stole the show, that is centers around which neurons with different orientation sensitivity crowd with the colours representing their orientation clashing without interposed indifferent regions.
In these pinwheels each of the different orientations occurs only once as you go full circle around their center.
They most likely correspond to the corners between the hypercolumns in their hexagonal array, and the different orientations within one “pinwheel” most likely belong to three different hypercolumns that meet there [2].
The distinction between the two entities, orientation hypercolumns and pinwheels may sound academic but becomes
crucial when one endeavours to underpin orientation
specificity of cortical neurons with schemes of neuronal interactions at the elementary level. The accompanying illustration should help the reader to partake in this discussion.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published-36Hypercolumns vs. pinwheels1501715421150171542348597MValverdeVBraitenbergTübingen, Germany2007-07-009310th Tübinger Wahrnehmungskonferenz (TWK 2007)“Optical imaging” of the visual cortex after application of variously oriented visual stimuli provides an opportunity to test different models of the distribution of orientation sensitive neurons over the surface of the cortex. Rectilinear “slabs” of uniform orientation are not supported
by the evidence. What is compatible with the optical imaging is the arrangement of neurons with different orientation around centers, regularly spaced at distances of about 0.5 mm in a hexagonal array. According to a model proposed in 1979 [1], the orientations to which the
neurons are sensitive should be arranged either radially, or, more likely, like the tangents [2] of circles around said centers, whereby in either case twice the same orientation occurs in opposite positions of the “hypercolumn” thus defined. For this reason each colour, indicating a certain orientation on the optical recording maps, should form a blotch the shape of two sectors
meeting at the center of the hypercolumn. We chose the term “bow tie” for this configuration, to match the facetiousness of the competing term “pinwheel”. The centers of the hypercolumns very likely coincide with the so-called cytochrome oxidase “blobs” which are spaced at the same distance. The fact that within these “blobs” orientation tuning of cortical neurons becomes rather undefined [3], makes the array of orientations around these centers less spectacular, and indeed other interpretations of the coloured maps were put forward. “Pinwheels” stole the show, i.e. centers around which neurons with different orientation sensitivity crowd with the colours representing their orientation clashing without interposed indifferent regions.
In these pinwheels each of the different orientations occurs only once as you go full circle around their center. They most likely correspond to the corners between the hypercolumns in their hexagonal array, and the different orientations within one “pinwheel” most likely belong
to three different hypercolumns that meet there [4].
The distinction between the two entities, orientation hypercolumns and pinwheels may sound academic but becomes crucial when one endeavours to underpin orientation specificity of cortical neurons with schemes of neuronal interactions at the elementary level. This is fairly
easy in the case of the hypercolumns under the assumption that in their centers are housed special inhibitory neurons [2], while a similar elementary scheme was never found as an explanation of the pinwheels.
On the coloured maps obtained with “optical recording” it is possible to discern both “pinwheels” and “bow ties” as an aid to the localization of the two types of centers.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published-93Pinwheels vs. Bow Ties1501715421150171542324857ASchüzVBraitenbergTübingen, Germany2004-02-001127th Tübingen Perception Conference (TWK 2004)The human cortical white matter has a volume nearly as large as the grey matter. Most of
it is composed of bers connecting the cortex to itself. These bres can be divided into the
following systems: 1) short bres which follow the gyri and sulci of the grey matter (the U-
bre-system), 2) longer bres which make short-cuts between more distant gyri, 3) long bres
which run in fascicles in the depth of the white matter and connect the different cortical lobes
with each other, and 4) bres of the Corpus callosum. In this study we make an estimate of the
quantitative composition of some of these sytems. This gives insights into the organization of
cortico-cortical connectivity in the human brain which is otherwise difcult to approach.
In a rst approach, we dissected the long-range fascicles in the depth of the white matter.
Measuring their cross sectional areas and multiplying these by the assumed density of bres
one can estimate the number of bres in these fascicles. It turned out to be of the orders of
and P.QSR
P.Q<T
in the individual fascicles and to add up to the order of
P.Q7U
for the fascicles of one
hemisphere. Thus, the number of bres connecting the lobes of one hemisphere to each other
is similar to the number of bres in the Corpus callosum [1]. Both of these long bre systems
comprise only a few percent of the total number of cortico-cortical bres [2].
In a second approach, we made estimates on the number of short cortico-cortical bres
(up to a few centimeters) in the white matter (based on volume measurements of the U-ber
system) and on the number of horizontal axon collaterals which connect the cortex in itself up
to a few millimeters within the grey matter. It turns out that there is an inverse relation between
number and range of bres connecting the cortex in itself. The bres in the U-bre system
outnumber the cortico-cortical bres in the rest of the white matter by a factor of 10, and are
themselves about 10 times less than the horizontal collaterals in the grey matter.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published-112Cortico-Cortical Connectivity in the Human Brain: A Study on the Cortical White Matter15017154211501715423Braitenberg19887VBraitenbergZürich, Switzerland1988-09-0014711th Annual Meeting of the European Neuroscience Associationnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published-147The role of passive mechanical factors in voluntary movement150171542369617VBraitenbergLeningrad, Soviet Union1984-01-00171Symposium Association Systems of the BrainPeculiarly, at the same time as modern psychologists are becoming more and more
cognitive, modern views of the cortex seem to turn away from the global aspects of
cortical function in favour of a description in terms of columns and modules, functional
units much finer even than the areas and subareas of the old architectonic school.
We are faced with the question of what holds the modules together when a global
thought is organized in the brain, or even a multisensory perception. Fortunately,
we are not compelled to take the extreme view that would relegate the integrative
action to extracortical structures, with the cortex itself as a passive, compartmentalized
reference file. There are enough synapses in the cortex (1011 in the mouse, 1014 in
man) which can hardly serve any other purpose that that of dynamic interaction of
elementary or complex percepts. How many of these synapses are between neurons
within a module, how many of them link neighbouring modules and how many link
modules far apart? These are questions to which our statistical considerations of
cortical structure are addressed. The synapses between cortical neurons vastly outnumber
the synapses between afferent fibers and cortical neurons. Most of these
synapses are between pyramidal cells and are probably excitatory. Synapses between
neighbours are probably not more numerous than those between distant elements.
The influence of a single pyramidal cell onto another is probably very slight, so that
strong effects must be mediated by groups of active neurons. All of this points to the
cortex as the place where cell assemblies in the sense of Hebb are organized.nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published-171The Associative Network in the Mouse Cortex150171542369677VBraitenbergBoston, MA, USA1983-11-0047413th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (Neuroscience 1983)nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published-474Explanation of orientation columns in terms of a homogeneous network of neurons in the visual cortex150171542369647MFahleVBraitenbergHamburg, West Germany1983-09-00S108Seventh European Neuroscience Congressnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Curvature detection in the central and peripheral visual field of human subjects150171542318097VBraitenbergASchüzMinneapolis, MN, USA1982-11-0012th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (Neuroscience 1982)nonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0What kind of cortex is the Hippocampus?150171542318117VBraitenbergGPalmASchüzFirenze, Italy1978-09-00S119S120Second European Neuroscience Meetingnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Functional aspects of the cortical anatomy150171542318127ASchüzGPalmVBraitenbergFirenze, Italy1978-09-00S43Second European Neuroscience Meetingnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published0Quantitative aspects of cortical anatomy150171542370007VBraitenberg1957-02-00399400Anatomical Recordnonotspecifiedhttp://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/published1Local variation of fiber structure in the telencephalic cortex of monkey and manBraitenberg200310VBraitenberg